44-23015
'' |image= |caption= |designation=Fairchild C-82 Packet |version=C-82A |c/n= |firstflight= |lastflight= |featuredin=''The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)'' Used for the flying scenes in the livery of the fictitious "ArabCo" oil company, but with no visible aircraft registration numbers. |fate=Scrapped }} =History= Delivered to Ladd AAF, AK on 23 September, 1946, 44-23015 was allocated to the 609th AF Base Unit (Proving Ground Command), Eglin AB, FL. on 23 March, 1947. Transferred on 14 April, 1947 to the 611th AF Base Unit (PGC), Eglin AB, FL, it remained there until passed to the 605th AF Base Unit (PGC), Eglin AFB, FL. on 1 October, 1947, shortly after the United States Army Air Force was reconstituted as the United States Air Force on 18 September. Returned to Fairchild Aircraft Corp., MD. (Air Materiel Command) for upgrades on 30 December, 1947, 44-23015 joined the 313th Troop Carrier Group (Tactical Air Command), Bergstrom AFB, TX. on 10 March, 1948. On 8 May, 1948 44-23015 was sent to the 10th Maintenance & Supply Group (TAC), Pope AFB, NC. from where it was assigned on 17 February, 1949 to the 314th Troop Carrier Group (Continental Air Command), Smyrna AFB, TN. On 22 March, 1949, the aircraft participated in a deployment to Robins AFB, Georgia, before joining 5th Air Rescue Squadron (Military Air Transport Service), Biggs AFB, TX on 7 April, 1950. Converted to SC-82A standards, the aircraft was flown to Ellington AFB, TX on 19 July, 1950. Passed on 30 October, 1950 to 2156th Air Rescue Unit (MATS), MacDill AFB, FL, the aircraft made deployments to Williams AFB, AZ. and Olmsted AFB, PA. Assigned on 18 March, 1952 to 5th Air Rescue Squadron (MATS), Ellington AFB, FL, the aircraft participated in a deployment to Kelly AFB, TX. Passed on 22 December, 1952 to 47th Air Rescue Squadron (MATS), Ellington AFB, FL. Deployment to Kelly AFB, TX. On 12 July, 1953 the aircraft was sent to Aircraft Engineering & Maintenance Co. - AEMCO (AMC), Oakland, CA, and converted back to C-82A standards. 28 April, 1954 501st Air Defense Group (Air Defense Command), O'Hare IAP, IL. 12 May, 1954 2nd Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (ADC), McGuire AFB, NJ. 3 August, 1954 521st Air Defense Group (ADC), Sioux City MAP, IA. 4 October, 1954 35th Air Division (ADC), Dobbins AFB, GA. 16 March, 1955 3040th Aircraft Storage Squadron (AMC), Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ. 1 August, 1955 Dropped from inventory as surplus. Civil History 9 January, 1956 N6989C SAMUEL C. RUDOLPH, Los Angeles, California Sold from Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona. 29 May, 1958 N6989C STEWARD-DAVIS INC., Gardena, California June, 1958 Upgraded with a Steward-Davis J30-W Jet-Pak as a Jet-Packet 1600. 30 June, 1958 Exported to Rivaereo Co., Chile as CC-CRA-0507. Export cancelled in favour of sending C-82A s/n: 44-23027 / reg.: N5095V. 1958 FAA registration changed to N6887C. 10 January, 1961 Fabric control surfaces replaced with metal ones. 10 January, 1961 Commenced several flights to Surinam for lessee Lawa Goudvelden N.V., a Dutch gold mining company based on the Lawa River, Surinam. The aircraft transported a bucket-line dredger and associated equipment from Long Beach to Paramaribo, Surinam where it was then transported by land through jungle to be assembled. Pilots were Cecil Johns, Ted Whaley and Bob Thayer as loadmaster. The flights finished in late 1961. 13 March, 1961 N6887C NEW FRONTIER AIRLIFT CORP., Phoenix, Arizona 1 May, 1961 Hydraulic nose-wheel steering installed. 18 August, 1961 Engine upgrade to P&W R-2800-85AM2H radials as a Jet-Packet 1600A. Five flight tests conducted at Edwards AFB, California, on 28 August, 1961, for USAF (AFFTC) evaluation of C-82 Jet-Packet performance. Tests concluded on 2 September, 1961. Leased to Las Vegas Sun newspaper 6 January, 1964for the carriage of newspapers from California to Las Vegas, Nevada after the newspaper suffered the loss of their printing presses due to fire. Leased to Eureka Merchants Assoc. on 6 January, 1965, for transporting equipment to the isolated community in Humboldt County, California, the aircraft underwent installation of new radio units, omni indicators and glide-slope equipment 2 days later, with new aerials evident on nose and port tail fin. 29 June, 1965 Leased to 20th Century Fox Film Corp., by Steward-Davies Inc. Long Beach, California, as flying aircraft in production of The Flight of the Phoenix (1965). Pilots were Earl Bellotte, Ted Whaley and FAA rep. Bob Thayer. The aircraft was based out of Yuma Intl. Airport, Arizona from 1 July to about mid July. For the film it was painted in the fictional livery of the Arabco Oil Co. 21 September, 1965 Conversion as a Flying Repair Station with the ability to travel to locations and repair or replace airliner piston or jet engines. This became the aircraft's main role up to 1970. On 8 August, 1966 the aircraft was leased to 20th Century Fox Film Corp. to transport a "giant snail" movie prop to Marigot Bay on the island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean for the production of Doctor Dolittle (1967). 12 December, 1966, the aircraft was leased to Fouad Said Productions for the hauling of movie equipment. Production title is unclear, but is likely to be the I Spy TV series (1965-1968). Date unknown N6887C was commissioned to fly an engine down through Mexico for delivery to a ship. Departing Long Beach, the C-82 developed an oil leak in one of the engines so the pilot elected to land at Hermosillo, Mexico for repairs. When Mexican customs officials found the aircraft had no permits or flight-plan for Mexican airspace the aircraft was impounded on the spot and the crew returned to the US. After much legal wrangling, N6887C was abandoned by it's owners and the aircraft remained at Hermosillo Airport for the next 12 or so years. Pilots were Ted Whaley, Don Dinoff and Tim Mulligan as flight engineer. The registration was revoked by the FAA on 3 September, 1971. In 1983, the aircraft was gifted to the City of Hermosillo and displayed as an educational item in the Parque Popular Infantil, a science-based outdoor park for children. Known as the "Plane of Science", it was scrapped in November, 2005 after the park was upgraded.N6887C Page on C82 Packet website =Notes= =Sources= Category:Fairchild C-82 Packet